Last year we attended Fly Fishing Retailer, the fly fishing industry’s big annual trade show, and we did our best to tell you all about the coolest new gear that the manufacturers in our industry came up with for your fishing pleasure, straight from the show floor.

This year AFFTA, our industry’s trade group, took over ownership of our show and renamed it the International Fly Tackle Dealer Show, or IFTD for short. It’s happening in Denver again this year, from September 9th to the 11th.

Because we think it’s really important to support our industry, and oh yeah, because we like playing with new fishing gear, we’ll be doing it all over again this year. Make sure to tune in between September 9th and 11th if you like new fishing gear as much as we do.

Just like last year, we’ll be posting a couple of times a day to this here blog, and you’ll be able to track our every move on our Twitter feed (which you don’t need a Twitter account to check out). Gear geek speak on the horizon!

A week ago at this time we were at the Fly Fishing Retailer show in Denver, keeping you updated a couple of times a day on the best new gear at we saw at the show.

We got a lot of good feedback from folks who were interested in some of the new toys we saw, so we’ve taken a pass through our posts from FFR, added a bunch of photos, made some updates and added a whole bunch of links, and rounded ’em up for you here. With that, here’s…

The next few reviews wrap up our coverage from the 2009 Fly Fishing Retailer show. Thanks for checking it out! Over the next few months we’ll be putting a lot of the gear we’ve seen to work, and we’ll follow up with some more detailed reviews.

Bruce Chard does a really nice job showing us the Ross Balance.

Ross Balance
This is a pretty cool idea. The Ross Balance is an adjustable reel arm that allows you to change the position of your reel relative to the rod. Why do you care? Moving the reel can change the balance of the rod significantly. Depending on the size of the reel relative to the rod, and also depending on angler preference, different positions might work better than others.

Besides being adjustable, the Balance differs from the Abel Arm in that it’s got a normal, built-in reel seat that fits any fly reel. No need to bust out the screwdriver to change reels – nice. $139.

Bruce continues to excel – the Evolution LT.

Ross Evolution LT
Ross has updated their super-popular Evolution reel with the release of the Evolution LT. The LT has a larger arbor than the original Evolution. The spool cap and the drag cover are now aluminum instead of plastic, as is the escapement cover (sorry, we don’t know what an escapement cover is, but we know it’s metal now). The spool and frame are more ventilated than they were in the past, and the machining is beautiful. The drag is unchanged.

This is a really good looking reel. $245 – $315.

Sage TXL 000710-3
This rod isn’t new, but we just had to mention that we got to cast the Sage TXL 000710-3, otherwise known as the ‘Triple Ought’. That’s right – two sizes lighter than a 0 weight.

Simms Flats Boots and Sneakers
We knew that Simms was coming out with new boots for the flats, and in fact we used a test pair on South Andros this past winter. They were great, but to be honest we really liked the old Flats Sneakers. We got some good news this weekend – the Flats Sneakers are sticking around in a revised, lightweight version, and the Flats Boots are being added to the lineup.

The Flats Boots are your hard core flats boot, with more ankle support and a more aggressive sole pattern. The Flats Sneakers are your lighter-weight, mellower-looking option, and we still like ’em. Both will be out in November. $149.95 for the Flats Boot and $99.95 for the Flats Sneaker.

We’re almost done with our coverage of Fly Fishing Retailer. Here’s the rundown on what we liked from Redington, Buff and Smith Optics. We’ll have one more gear post from FFR this afternoon.

Redington Minnow
Anything that helps get kids into fly fishing is a great thing in our book – it’s good for the kids and it’s good for our sport. The Redington Minnow is an easy-casting 8 foot 5/6 weight rod designed for kids. Here’s the great news – the rod, reel and line outfit costs $99. Nice work, Redington.

Hand model Kate shows off the new Buff gloves.

Buff GlovesWe like Buffs, and they’re not just for the flats anymore – our guides use them everywhere we fish to cut down on sun, wind, bugs and cold where applicable. Buff has a merino wool version that looks like it’d be really cozy on those cold mornings on the Kanektok.

Buff is also releasing what look to be really well-designed gloves made for angling. They’ve got leathery palms and microfiber backs – these are much more substantial than your typical spandex sun gloves, but not at all bulky.

Smith Ignitor Lenses
Smith has added a new polarized pink/rose-colored lens to their angling line. The color is actually called ‘Ignitor’ – it’s a tint that has worked great for their ski goggles in the past, and at first glance this lens looks like a great option for those days on the flats when the light is less-than-perfect. We’ll give ’em a try and let you know what we think.

Our coverage of the new gear at the Fly Fishing Retailer show continues this afternoon. If you’re getting tired of the ‘new gear’ posts, don’t worry – we’ll be back to our normal posting schedule on Sunday.

This morning we got our detailed walkthrough of the new lineup from Sage, Rio and Redington. We also saw some cool new stuff from Buff Headwear and Smith Optics. Here are the highlights from Sage and Rio – tomorrow morning we’ll tell you about Redington, Buff and Smith.

Sage Xi3 Rods
We posted about the new Sage Xi3 saltwater rods last week. We like ’em a lot. Today we cast the production version of the 7 weight, and found it to be…just like the prototype we fished on South Andros this past winter. It’s light, a little faster than the Xi2 version and a great choice for a lighter bonefish rod. $700 for the 790-4 Xi3.

Sage 7126-4 TCX
We also got to fish the prototype of this guy on the Dean in August. George Cook, the Sage rep for the Northwest, calls this thing the ‘Death Star’. Yeah, it’s a powerful weapon. Like all the two-handers in the Sage TCX line, it’s really fast and really light. It throws a Skagit head in the 525 to 575 grain range a mile. If you prefer a fast, powerful butt section to a ‘deep bend’ kind of feel, you’re going to want to check this rod out. $865.

Sage Typhoon Boat Bag – feature-laden and easy to close.

Sage DXL Typhoon Boat BagSage has added some waterproof bags and packs to their lineup, and it’s certainly an understatement to say that they’re feature-packed. The DXL Tyhpoon Boat Bag has multiple closure options allowing you to flop the top shot to keep out rain, close a magnetic flap to hold gear in, or zip the top shut at the end of your day. It’s also got an inner clear top pouch that will be a great option for you if you choose to commit the mortal sin of bringing your Blackberry with you on the river. $225.

Here’s the Large DXL Typhoon Waist Pack.

Sage DXL Typhoon Waist Pack, Large
This waist pack looks like a winner. It combines a large, completely submersible pouch with easier-access storage options, including one pocket that uses that ‘flop the magnets closed or zip it shot’ system described above. Why is this good? You can put your SLR camera in the submersible pouch and all your fishing gear in the easy-access pockets, and fish all day in the rain without fear. $200.

Sage 99 Rods
We also cast the Sage 599-4 ’99’ – Sage’s new purpose-built nymphing rod. It’s 9 feet, 9 inches long which allows better line control while mending. It’s got a relatively fast tip combined with a moderate-action butt section, and this combination produces a relatively open loop, which is a good thing when you’re nymphing – especially with multiple flies and/or lead. $699.

Hand model George Cook shows us the Cranky.

Rio Cranky
Value alert! This $9.95 piece of plastic from Rio makes all those left-over line spools in your basement useful. It’s a handle that slots into the center hole of those spools, and makes it much easier to wind a line back on there. The Cranky was released last year, but it’s new to us.

A little bit of color.

Rio Colored Braided Loops

Here’s another nice little product that will make your life easier if you do things like making your own T-14 tips. Rio’s making their braided loops in orange and camo now. Why do you care? Using an orange loop on the back of a head or a long sinktip will help with visibility. Using a camo loop on the front end of a T-14 tip will save you from having to color it with a Sharpee when you’re done. Nice. $5.95 for a pack of three.

This morning we continue our coverage of the Fly Fishing Retailer show with a couple more new product updates for our first day.

Titan Rod Vault
We spent some time this afternoon checking out the Titan Rod Vault. This product falls into the ‘why hasn’t somebody done it sooner?’ category. It’s a ‘vehicle rod and reel transport system’ – aluminum tubes connected to a lockable molded plastic housing that totally encases your rods and reels when you’re carrying them on your truck’s roof rack, or in your boat. We’re hoping to fit this things into our boats at Alaska West.

Rio Skagit Flight Shooting HeadsRio was the pioneer of Skagit-style shooting heads – for a few years their Skagit line and Skagit heads were the standards for Northwest-style spey lines designed to deliver heavy heads and big flies to anadromous fish.

We talked today to Simon Gawesworth about Rio’s next-generation Skagit line, which will be out in the next couple of months. Dubbed the Skagit Flight, these heads are still short and heavy, but they’ve got an actual front taper and more mass concentrated near the back end of the head. These two traits should translate to easier casts that turn over more consistently.

We’re getting the full ‘song and dance’ from the Sage/Rio/Redington crew tomorrow – more to come on this one!

We’ll be posting a couple of times a day this weekend with reports on the new gear that’s being released at the show. We’re wrapping up our first afternoon – so far we’ve had a short walkthrough of the show floor and a session looking at the new product coming out from Simms.

Here’s a quick look at the highlights of the new Simms product for the season. We’ll follow up with more detailed reviews on this stuff in the next few weeks.

There’s no stunning new technology here – just a really well-designed briefcase that will hold maybe 10 reels and has a compartment with perfect storage for sinktips and shooting heads. This is a great one for you spey nerds (like us) who like to tinker around with lines and reels.The Headwaters Reel Briefcase will be out on November 15th too.

G3 Guide Pants
This is a big one. We still use and love our old Simms Classic Guide Pants, and this is the updated version. They’re waist-highs with a waterproof fly. They’re really comfy and provide easy access for those ‘relief breaks’. If you’re fishing out of a driftboat in Montana, or doing a walk and wade day at Chile West, you want these.

These pant-style waders will be out in March.

No Fly Zone Shirts

No Fly Zone demo – this is what happens when you don’t use it

Simms is releasing their first bug-repellent clothing this year. The Fly Away Solid Shirt and Bug Blocker Plaid Shirt contain No Fly Zone technology developed by Burlignton Labs that actually bakes bug repellent into the fabric prior to construction (rather than washing it in after the shirt is made). We think the Bug Blocker Plaid Shirt is particularly good-looking…and we’ll let you know how the techology works after we give it a try on the water.

A week from today we’ll be headed to Fly Fishing Retailer, our industry’s one big annual tradeshow. Fly tackle manufacturers, their equipment reps, fly shop owners and the whole cast of characters in the fly fishing industry will all descend on the Colorado Convention Center in Denver during ‘FFR’ to make plans for the upcoming year.

So why do you care? Simple – this is when they bring out all the new gear! FFR is not open to the public, but we’re going to do our best to bring you up to speed on ‘Fly Fishing Gear, Vintage 2010’.

We’ll be on site at FFR, covering the show and posting on the new equipment that’s unveiled there. If you’re not that interested in fly fishing gear, we’ll just warn you in advance – we’re going to be posting more frequently than normal from September 10th to the 13th. Sorry!

If you really want the blow-by-blow during the show next weekend, you can get even more frequent updates on our Twitter page.

Among other things, here’s some gear we know we’re going to be writing about.

Sage’s new Xi3 Saltwater rods (check back tomorrow for a sneak peak)

Simms’ new No Fly Zone anti-bug clothing

Buckets of new fly designs

Hip packs straight out of the future

A new Sage spey rod that we got to sample in prototype form on the Dean

Fly Fishing Retailer runs from September 10th to the 13th – check back in next weekend to see what’s new!